Scotland's top baby names

Olivia and Jack were the most popular baby names of 2016, National Records of Scotland announced today.

Olivia, the third most popular girls’ name last year, is the top girls’ name for the first time.

Last year’s top girls’ name, Emily, is a close second, while Sophie has dropped from second to third. Charlotte has now entered the top ten with Lily dropping out.

Jack has now been the top boys’ name for nine consecutive years.

James and Oliver have switched places since 2015, with James now the second most popular name and Oliver third. Harry, Noah and Leo have entered the top ten at the expense of Lucas, Harris and Daniel.

National Records of Scotland registered 24,489 girls and 26,408 boys during this period. There were 4,137 different first forenames for girls and 3,132 for boys. Of these, 4,743 children were given first forenames that were unique to them.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said:

“It’s always fascinating and fun to see the names Scotland’s parents are giving to their newborns. 

“Choosing a name for your child is such a huge decision. It’s their introduction to the world and usually stays with them for the rest of their lives. 

“The trend for unique names remains far higher than it has been in previous decades, indicating that today’s parents are putting a lot of thought into choosing names for their babies.

“I note that so far, ‘Fiona’ does not appear in this year’s top 100, so it may appeal to parents who are expecting a girl next year and looking for a rarer name.”

Further information

• Sophia rose the furthest within the top twenty girls’ names, moving up three places to sixteenth.
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• Three new names entered the girls’ top twenty this year. Charlotte has risen eleven places to tenth, Aria is up fourteen places to eleventh and Evie is up eight places to eighteenth.
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• The fastest climbers in the top twenty boys’ names were Harry, up ten places to sixth; Noah, jumping eight places to seventh and Leo, rising five places to eighth.
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• Ethan was the only new addition to the boys’ top twenty, rising six places to seventeenth.For background You can access the full publication here: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/names/babies-first-names
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